Dental instrument structure



May 7, 1929. o. H. PIEPER DENTAL INSTRUMENT STRUQTURE Filed Deo. 2o, 1926 Patented May 7, 19297.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR H. PSEPER, F RCCHESTER, NEVI YRK, ASSIGNGR TO HILSELF ND ALPHONSE FEPEB, BOTH OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK.

DENTAL INSTRUMENT STRUCTURE.

Application i'iled December 20, 1826,

Mily intention relates to dental if struinent structures, pari"l 1larly to electrically heated root canal i t er instruments. in important object et the inveV provide improved structure and arrangement tor the heating element or wire whereby the same may localize the heat. Another iinportant object is to provide improved arrangement in the torni ot chuck mechanism lo for anchoring adjacent to the loial heat the heating element an instrument tip or point such as a wire lfor insertion into root canals to effect drying thereof7 said chucl; mechanism being capable oi seating and securely holding the wire tip in place and permitting ready removal thereot.

The above and other features of the invention are incorporated in the structure disclosed on the drawing, in which Figure 1 is a side elevational view ot my improved instrument structure showing it seated in a switch handle whose upper end is shown in diametral section;

Figure 2 is a sectional view of the instrument structure on plane 2 2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is side View of the chuck aw;

Figureft is an end view ot the chuck jaw; and

Figures 5, 6 and 7 show various steps in the forming oi the heating coil.

The instrument structure comprises the body in the form of a metal tube 1t) which one end has secured or molded thereon insulating material to form a head or grip collar 11. rlhe outer end of the tube 10 forms a plug or seating the instrument structure.

lelescoping a distance into and extending `trom the'outeiend of the tube 10 is the terminal sleeve 12 which is insulated from the tube by cement 18 which also securely holds the sleeve in place. lelescoping a distance within the outer end of the contact sleeve is the contact. rod or pin lil which secured and insulated by cement 15.

ln the upper end of the tube 10 is seated the operating point supporting tube 16 which is secured and insulated by the cementI material 17. rilhe end of the tube 1G is threaded to receive a chuck cap or shell 18. Cooperating with the ends of the tube is also the chuck jaw plug 19 whose tapered end 19 engages in the tube 10. The jaw plug 19 has the axial passageway 20 tor reception ot the op- Serial No. 155,834.

erating point or needle 21, the chuck cap having the passageway 22 for the point. r lhe chucl; jaw member is slitted diametrally at its tapered end as indicated at 23 in order to form the opposed jaws 2 and 25 at opposite sides ot the operating point receiving passageway 20, so that when the jaw plug is forced into the tube 16 by the engagement of 'die cap 18 therewith when the cap is screwed to the tube, the opposed jaws will be forced radially into clamping engagement with the operati point to hold it securely in position. '1`o seat and assist in centering the operating point a blocl 26 is secured in the tube 16 a dis inse inwardly of the chuck end and has the pocket or hole 27 for receiving the emi the operating point. By means of this chuck mechanism different operating points may be readily secured tor service.

l/Vithin the tube 16 directly behind the operating point supporting block 26 is the electric heating element 7a, whose terminals 28 and 29 extend through the tube 16 and tube 1U and connect respectively with the terminals 12 and 141-. rlhe heat from the heating element /L is conveyed to the block 26 which is ci metal, and from their to the operating point. The heat is also conducted along the tube 1G and the chuck member to be delivered to the operating point7 the outer end ot the point becoming thus rapidly heated when current is conducted through the heating coil.

ln Figures 5, 6 and 7 the manner ci forming the coil is illustrated. A length ot copper f wire is indicated by the line A-B and soldered at one end to this wire at the point C is a length ot resistance wire D which may be platinum, and to the other end of this resistance wire is secured another length ot copper wire E The wir-e A-B is placed in a winding machine and tor a distance to the right of the point C insulation F is applied to the wire, which insulation may be in the term otl asbestos yarn. The resistance wire D is now wound over the insulation F, as indicated in Figure- 5, and then, as indicated in Figure 7, the insulation G which may also be in the torni of asbestos yarn, is wound around the heating coil D and around the wire E, which was swung into parallelism with the Wire AHB after the coil D was wound, the insulation G extending trom the point C the Whole f keep themselves insulated from caen otho ture to include the heat coil in an electrical 2 minces length of the insulation F. After the insulation G has been applied the Wire from C to A is snipped oil and the heating element is nov: ready for use. As shown in Figure 2 and as has been described, the heating element is inserted to bring the heat-ing coil into position innnediately back of the block 2G from which the operating point 2l extends. he lead 28 (which is part of the Wire A-B) and the lead 29 then extend through the tube i6 and plug tube l0 to be soldered to the terminals i2 and 14. The insulation Gr protects the heat coil :from contactwith the metal tubevll While the leads 28 and 29 will be suiiiciently rigi l and from the various metal parts ot the instrument. It is obvious, ci course, that the wires orn'iing-t-he leads could have had n' :ulation placed thereon betere 'formation ot the heating element.

The chuck arrangement described ifcrnis a very important feature of my invention as it permits the use ot operating points or needlesin the form of lengths et Wire, such as platinum Wire, and veliminates the need oi special construct-ion for operating points or needles. The chuck mechanism Will securely and accuratelyhold the Wire length rigidly in place and the Wire will be rapidly heated by the heat delivered by the coil.

The instrument .structure is, when used, supported in a suitable handle structure. (En Figure l, I have shown a handle structure such as is disclosed in my eo-pending applicat-ion Serial No. 136,50l liled September 2l), 1926. It comprises the cylindrical shell EO having the throat 3l at its upper end at the base of the neck 32, this neck being split tc be radially centractible. Vithin the handle shell the conducting strip 24 terminates at its upper end in the socket or belt 33 which rcceives the contact sleeve l2 ot the s ruin z structure Whose plug tube l() engages in t throat 3l. The terminal stri a Se Withir 'the handle structure terminates in a switch lesf O 34 controlled'by a button 35 to contact with the contact pin 14s of the instrument struccircuit.

The neck 32 of the handle structure is threaded on the exterior and engaged therewith is the bushing 36 which lines the insulating sleeve 37. At its upper end this bn ing has the annular bevel shoulder 38 and the throat section oil the handle has the bevel shoulder39. Between these shoulders extends the split sleeve 40 whose ends are 'tapered in correspondence With the shoulders so that when Vthe collar 29 is screwed down on the threaded neck of the handle the bushing l0 will be rr the plug and hon rely lo the handle structure. Then the in rumcnt is applied the collar 37 'forms a continuation o'f the insulating grip end ll ot the instrument so that an extended heat insulated grip is provided :for the operator.

Having described my invention, I claim as follows A g element for dental or a lead wire, a length "d at one end to said engagement therel lead wire to l'orm i ical heating element for dental anar-nts comprising a lead wire, a'coil of wound on said lead wire but .c n one end of said coil being in eleigflrical engigagenient with said lead f d lead wire secured. to the other 'l and insulation enclosing said ral-jacent part ol said second lead an electrical heating clement for rimonta llc combination of a lead l ,n on said wire, a coil ol'i resist onnd around said lead wire at i, one end el' said coil being in gement with said lead Wire, Wire connected with the other i and extending parallel with Wire, and insulation Wound 'to il and the acjacent part of said l nelectrical heating clement tor dental comprising, a lead wire, `insuinv naine lth da or December 1926.

OSCAR Il. PIEPER. 

